The Eastern Sky
by Jtoasn
Summary: Arthur is determined to find Gwen again, but his path is altered when an evil is awoken by Morgana, and they are all thrown into a world long believed dead. LOTR x Merlin. I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

**I**

**THE EASTERN SKY**

**ONE**

Morgana stepped through the forest, her dress trailing after her. She was recalling the conversation she had had with Agravaine only days ago.

"Arthur makes for Bremior's kingdom."

"Bremior? What could he possibly want there?"

"He is on a quest of some kind-"

"Of 'some kind'" Morgana asked, she moved towards Agravaine, "You make it seem as if you have fallen out of his favour."

"Well since the incident with Gaius the knight Gwaine has been keeping a very annoying eye on me," he said, irritated, "But if we can get them caught, and that annoying knight killed, my problem will be solved."

"You've sent messengers to Bremior then," Morgana said, looking away from him, "Good, I have not been idle either."

Her eyes landed on a cave, its stone was black and rocks covered the entrance. With a wave of her hand, she moved the stones. They fell down around the base of the cave but there was space for her to make her way inside.

"The black caves?" he asked, "They are treacherous."

"It may have escaped your attention that those who I thought were my allies are not," she said, as she looked at him, a dangerous flash in her eyes, "Only creatures of pure evil can count themselves my allies."

"And me... Morgana," Agravaine said.

She said nothing.

Her hand touched the stone as she crossed the threshold of the cave, she could feel the heat emanating from the cave. She stepped closer inside until she could no longer see natural light, she opened her hand and a light flashed before her.

She screamed, as a face appeared before her, not that she would call it a face. It was as if someone had taken a face and melted the face off, the skin was dark, black or grey at some point. It was a grotesque creature, and it was looking straight at Morgana.

"Who wakes us from our slumber?"

"I... I have a proposition for you."

The creature turned its head to Morgana. "And what will we get for this?"

She could see more of the creatures making their way around her, her eyes flashed and a great flame erupted on her hands. The creatures staggered back, scared.

"Whatever you wish, my lady." He said, "We are your servants. We are at your bidding."

Morgana smiled, "I need you to find someone, someone that I want to be rid of."

"Yes My Lady." They said, "And who is this person we are looking for?"


	2. Chapter 2

**II**

**THE EASTERN SKY**

**TWO**

Arthur pulled the hood lower onto his face, "We will stay here the night, we leave at daybreak."

"Fantastic." Gwaine said, rubbing his hands together, as he walked towards the tavern. Arthur gained a look from the other knights and he grabbed Gwaine's elbow.

"Go easy on the drinks Gwaine; we don't want a repeat of last week."

"A trifle," Gwaine said, waving his hand, "How was I to know that he was such a sore loser."

"I think the axe and the short-temper must have been a give away," Merlin said as he walked into the tavern with the others, Arthur shook his head, knowing it was no use.

They entered the rowdy tavern, all sorts of men were there, Gwaine was soon at the counter buying drinks, Arthur nodded at Leon to keep an eye on him.

"I'm going to get some shut eye." Merlin nodded and then he felt Arthur pull his arm, whispering in a low voice, "Keep a sharp eye."

Merlin nodded again slowly, as he looked around the tavern.

The whole room was filled with untrustworthy people, but Merlin spotted someone seated at the back of the tavern that seemed to get his attention more. They were dressed in a dark cloak with a black scarf covering their face, if Merlin hadn't been searching for them, Merlin was sure he wouldn't have seen them at all.

Whoever they were, they were keeping an eye on the knights of Camelot.

"Anything for you tonight?" a barmaid said as she grabbed some dirty mugs from the table that Merlin was seated at; Merlin looked at the Ranger in the corner.

"Can you tell me, who is that?"

"Who?" she said, as she looked around, she shook her head and then spotted the Ranger, "Oh! Oh, dear. I don't know, but their kind comes around here often, they call them Ranger. Dangerous sort of people."

"Ranger?" he asked, and then he shook his head when she asked him if he wanted a drink. The others soon came to join him.

"What's with the long face Merlin?" Gwaine asked.

Percival nodded as he took a sip from his drink, "Relax Merlin, no one knows who we are here."

"I think someone might," Merlin said, as he looked at the Ranger, the others looked (rather obviously) to where he was seated, they were on sudden alert.

"Who is he?"

"The barmaid called him a Ranger." Merlin said, and as he said this Gwaine hissed and shook his head into his drink, "You know them?"

"I've heard of them." Gwaine said, "They keep to themselves, but there are rumours that they deal in magic, bounty hunters and the most skilled warriors. They hold no alliance but to themselves. I haven't seen a Ranger in the five kingdoms since I was a boy, you hear rumours now and then but... I had thought them all dead."

"So they're a group of people then?" Elyan asked, "Like the druids?"

"The last I heard was that they stand alone, their allegiance is only won when it's paid... and even then."

A large man passed the table and pushed Gwaine slightly, Merlin knew that only a fight could come out of this confrontation.

"Watch where you're going!"

"You watch it!"

"Why you –"

Then the fists started flying, soon everyone was up and fighting around the tavern. Plates were flying around the room and so were the men. Merlin turned to see Arthur running out of the room, ready for a fight. Then when he looked where the Ranger had been seated, but it seems that he had left the table. Merlin looked around in alarm.

He felt his arm being pulled back; he turned to see the Ranger dragging him to a room.

"Who are you?" he asked as he was pulled inside, "What do you want?"

"You are in grave danger here, you have been betrayed."

"How do you know that?" Merlin asked, "Who's betrayed us?"

He looked around and Merlin saw something in his eyes that drew him in, "I think you already know the answer to that question."

Merlin's eyes narrowed, "Agravaine."

"But he is the least of your worries," they said as they pointed to the window, "Bremiors men are coming and we must get the others."

Merlin moved to the window and saw the soldiers going up to the tavern entrance. Suddenly the door burst open and the Ranger had a dagger drawn out, ready to fight.

Arthur's sword was already up as were the other four knights', "Put down your weapon."

"Good," The Ranger sighed and re-sheathed his dagger, "This saves us some time."

The others looked confused, Merlin looked at them, "We have to go."

"Wait, who is he?"

Merlin didn't say anything, "I don't know."

"You expect us to trust him."

"You trust people worse than me." He said, as he went to the adjacent wall and pulled at a fixture, a trapdoor fell near the corner of the room, "There is no time to explain, we must fly."

It was later as they all rode into the darkness of the forest and far beyond the reach of the soldiers did they began to question this Ranger. They had saved their lives, but they knew nothing of him. He could be leading them into a trap.

"I think we are far enough from the village now." Leon said to Arthur, as they rode deeper into the forest, they were still following the Ranger.

"How can trust we him?"

Arthur became determined and resolute, he raced forward and cut across the path of the Rangers horse, his sword drawn, "Who are you?"

"We cannot speak here," he said, looking around the forest as if expecting an ambush, "We must continue until dawn, the woods are no longer safe at night. Not for you."

"Who sent you?" Leon asked, the others had surrounded the Ranger, their weapons drawn as well.

"We do not stop until daybreak." He said, as he manoeuvred his way around Arthur's horse, "We must go on, the journey is long."

Arthur was not easily vexed. "You will tell us who you are or you will die."

"She said that you were stubborn."

A fear crossed all of their minds, Morgana, and they raised their weapons higher. "Who?"

"The maiden Guinevere." He said, as the others looked at him in shock, there was a noise behind them and the horses became uneasy, "We must go!"


	3. Chapter 3

**III**

**THE EASTERN SKY**

**THREE**

Gwaine fell onto the ground in a heap; the other knights would have laughed at this, but they were all too exhausted. They had ridden for hours and without any breaks. Only now, at daybreak, did the Ranger allow them to rest in the midst of a small cave.

Merlin began to fix them all some food to eat, but the Ranger stopped him, "You rest, you will need your energy for tomorrow."

"Who are you?" Arthur said, "You still have not told us. How do you know Guinevere?"

The Ranger said nothing, but he took a pot and filled it with water, and taking a small sachet from his coat, he threw powder inside the boiling water. Soon the smell of soup reached all of their noses; the Ranger took out bowls and gave them to each of them. "Eat and then rest."

He walked out of the cave and stood by the door; he took his dagger out and threw it into the ground. It remained upright, and he sat next to it, his eyes watching for danger.

"We still do not know who he is," Elyan said, "We cannot trust him..."

They looked at Gwaine who was scooping some soup out of the pot; he took a sip of it before any of them could stop him. Suddenly he was clutching at his throat, his face was turning red, the others rushed forward and some had drawn their swords out to slay the Ranger when Gwaine started laughing.

"You idiot!" Percival said.

"It's actually really good," Gwaine said as he took a bowl full, the others looked at it warily but before long, they too were drinking the soup. Soon the others were asleep, until Merlin was the only one left; the soup had not been poison, but he still did not trust this Ranger. He stayed up watching him warily.

He remained by the entrance, and before long Merlin was asleep.

They were awoken by the sound of an owl later, they awoke to see any remnants of their meal taken away and packed. The Ranger stood by the cave entrance, speaking to the horses in a tongue that the others could not understand.

He turned to the others, and handed them a small loaf of sweetened bread, it filled them up quickly but they were still wary of the giver, "You are all rested, eat this for the meantime. We must cover more ground tonight."

"Why must we travel in the dark?" Percival asked.

"All you need to know is that there are creatures that have been released into this world, creatures of the dark. Sun can hinder them during the day, and that is when we rest. In the night, they can come upon us like a thief. We must be vigilant, and we must be swift."

He mounted his horse, and went ahead, the others quickly followed.

They had doubts of this person, but they had no choice but to trust him, Merlin spoke to Arthur, "We do not even know his name."

Arthur looked at him, and nodded. "Ranger!"

They stopped and turned.

"What is your name?"

There was a pause, "You can call me Strider, now we must move!"

"They must be some kind of evil if they should scare this Strider," Gwaine said, being the only one that knew about them, fact or fiction.

They followed Strider even further now, and soon they were in a territory that not even the great traveller Gwaine had been in. The third days passed now, and they were making camp in the middle of a grove of trees, it was dark here and that would help them sleep better than in the sunlight.

But their sleep was fitful, and every time the knights would wake up they would see Strider pacing where they were, mumbling to himself in a low voice. His dagger would still be stuck onto the ground, as if blocking their sleeping quarters from being seen by others.

At around dusk they would be woken by Strider, treated to some food and then they would travel deeper into the forests. Following Strider, and as each hour passed the tension in the group also grew.

"Where is he leading us?"

"Can't Arthur do something about it?"

"Why can't we rest?"

"I can't take this much longer."

They were all tired when Strider stopped them, dawn was upon them and he had decided it was time for them to sleep. Arthur and Merlin went in search for water and firewood, leaving the others fuming in annoyance at their guide.

"How much further is it?" Elyan asked Strider, as they started to unpack their bags.

"A weeks more travel at this pace," he said.

"What do you mean 'at this pace'?" Gwaine asked, throwing down his shield on the forest floor, "We have travelled faster and further than we have on any other journey."

Strider looked at him, as did they all. The tension had been building for the past three days, and Gwaine was always a little more hotheaded than anyone else was.

"Well you have never travelled this far before," he said, as he pulled out his dagger, he turned from Gwaine, "Rest."

"NO!" he exclaimed, as he unsheathed his sword as well, the others looked at him and moved forward to stop him but Strider held up a hand.

"You don't want to do that, Gwaine." He said, his dagger held loosely at his side, "We mustn't waste our time with this."

"Am I not worth your time?" Gwaine exclaimed and he yelled out and ran towards Strider. But as he swung his sword, Strider reached and moved to the side, he grabbed Gwaine's arm and with his own movement Gwaine flipped and fell onto his back.

The others lunged forward, Elyan swung his sword across, and Strider ducked underneath it, his own weapon still unused in his hand, he blocked the sword and kicked Elyan behind his knee, causing him to fall on his face.

Leon lunged and caught Strider's sleeve, it ripped with a distinct tearing and Percival came forward to help. But Strider blocked every advance with his dagger, Elyan kicked out and Strider landed on his back.

But to everyone's surprise Strider did a back spin, and his leg contacted with Elyan's, causing him to stagger back. The knights stood around Strider, and watched him, waiting for his next move. But they could see that he was disinterested in the fight.

This only angered them.

Gwaine looked and spotted the dagger that was still unused in Strider's hand; he grabbed his own and ran forwards. As he ran forward Gwaine saw Strider's hand rise slowly, but Gwaine would reach his throat before Stider could reach his.

Gwaine had won the battle; he could see it in Stiders eyes – the disbelief.

But the victory was short-lived as a voice called out, making Gwaine falter.

"Stop!" Arthur had come back with the water.

But he saw that Strider had loosened his grip on the dagger as if he never meant to swing it and Gwaine hesitated…


	4. Chapter 4

**IV**

**THE EASTERN SKY**

**FOUR**

"Stop!" Arthur called out again, as he came into the clearing, at that moment Strider dropped his dagger and grabbed Gwaine's wrist, pushing him to the side a bow and arrow suddenly in his hands.

"Drop!" he called out and the others turned to see a spider, the size of a house coming down towards them, Strider released an arrow and the spider fell to the ground, the perfect shot.

He looked around the forest, "We have to move, quickly!"

They could hear the scuttling of more of the creatures; they were coming closer to where they were. The knights rushed to get all of their things before quickly mounting on their horses.

Strider was firing arrows all around, shooting at things that the others couldn't see.

"Quick!" she yelled as Merlin fell behind, she turned her horse back and fired a shot, just as a spider reached him, he fell to the ground. As he lay on his back, his eyes widened, finally seeing more spiders gliding their way towards the other knights. Merlin scrambled to get up, but his horse had already run off.

"Come with me!" He turned, Strider was holding out his hand out at him, "Quick!"

Jumping up, Merlin landed behind Strider, and he held onto his waist as he began to run away. He turned to see where the others were.

"Take the reins," Strider said.

"What?"

"Take the reins!" he shouted, and Merlin reached over as he let go, he was shooting arrows in all directions, Spiders fell in front of them, some of them remained on the ground, others would try and get up but Arthur and the others would swoop down and kill them with their swords.

"How many more are they?" Gwaine cried out.

Strider caught up with the others, "Head north, we ride on until dusk. We have no choice."

He took the reins back from Merlin and they galloped their way through the forest, now and again, they would see a spider but it would be killed instantly.

They rode on until they made their way to the other side of the forest, there was a river there and they followed it until they reached some ruins near a forest.

Merlin dismounted from Strider's horse. "Remain here. Stay alert. I shall return."

Strider rode ahead, leaving the others behind in the ruins. Gwaine had avoided Arthurs glance but as soon as Strider was gone, the King turned on him.

"You challenged him?"

"No."

"He challenged you?"

"No." Gwaine said, "I just... this is all so stupid, we don't even know that there are creatures following us. Yes, the spiders were a bit of a shock but they weren't all that bad."

"He's right Arthur," Leon said, "How do we know Strider's not leading us into a trap."

Arthur didn't say anything, he just looked around the ruins, "I ... we don't know that."

"He saved our lives," Merlin said, "Twice."

Leon shook his head, "He could have setup the entire thing, to make him seem like a hero."

"Yeah, cause you're all so good at spotting that," Merlin muttered, thinking of Agravaine, but the others hadn't heard him.

"We should make camp here," Arthur said, "Take turns in guarding, for whatever monster it is that's after us."

The other nodded and made their camp, soon they were asleep. Only Merlin and Arthur remained awake. The servant walked forward to Arthur, "You're thinking about Gwen, aren't you?"

The king said nothing.

"If we're only following Strider because of a throwaway line that he said, knowing Gwen –"

"I haven't seen her, I haven't heard from her, I... I don't... I don't know what she's doing or where she is."

"If Strider's spoken to her, seen her. Then perhaps she is doing well." Merlin said, "It is Strider after all."

Arthur nodded at him and Merlin went to go sleep, he looked out into the darkness of the forest, thinking about him. There was something that he couldn't put his finger on, something about the man that was...

He felt his arm being pulled back; he was being pulled into a room.

"Who are you?" Merlin asked, turning around, "What do you wan..."

His voice caught in his throat, disbelief in his eyes.

"Son."

"Dad?" Merlin asked, as he looked up, his father stood before him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to tell you about something, to warn you."

"Warn me?"

"The one you are travelling with, they are not what they seem."

"I know," Merlin said, "There is something about him, I don't know what it is."

"Do not feel uneasy, as long as you remain together you cannot fail. The Ranger will lead you and your friends into a world that was long believed dead and gone." He said, "But in this world, magic is not hidden, it is out in the open."

"What are you telling me?"

"This journey will define Arthur, and the knights." He said, "His opinion on magic will be altered forever."

"Merlin!" He was jolted awake, "Hurry!"

He didn't have time to get his bearings before he was being dragged into the ruins, he felt himself being pulled up to a landing. They all lay flat on the surface, looking down at the camp.

"Why are w-"

"Shh!" Strider said, they looked down on the camp, following his gaze, they remained there for what seemed like an hour, when something happened.

"-ou fools!" a voice shouted out, and they all watched as their eyes landed on the creature that had spoken. They tried not to call out, disgusted.

The face of the creature below them was disgusting, beige with large lumps on his face. His face looked as if he had been in a fight, badly wounded, and never recovered from whatever ailed him. He was looking around the camp.

"I don't trust those swine, we should just go back, there is nothing here." Another one said, even worse looking than the first.

"They must have left, we must move ourselves. Daylight will arrive soon and we will have to cover more ground. We will have to go west and see if we can cut them off."

"They have a guide with them, someone must be helping them. Men cannot find their way around their own head without help."

The creatures laughed and then made to move out, Elyan let out a sigh, and a pebble stumbled down.

"Wait!"

One of them moved back, and looked around at the camp, "I think I heard something."

They all held their breath, as they made their way back into the ruins. Suddenly there was a yell, "Dawn approaches!"

There was a flurry and they all left, leaving the knights on the stone, they remained there until the sun warmed their backs, Strider was the first to move.

"Come, we haven't much time."

"What were those things?"

"Yrch," he muttered, "Orcs in your tongue"

"They were disgusting."

"And very stupid, they will go into the west, cutting our fastest route." He said, "We must cross into the Old Kingdom through the East then."

They quickly mounted, now understanding why Strider was so concerned about them travelling quickly, now that they had seen their enemy they knew what to look for.


	5. Chapter 5

**V**

**THE EASTERN SKY**

**FIVE**

"Why have we stopped?" Arthur asked Strider.

"You do not wish to rest? To eat?"

"I only need some more of that bread, but I am too alert to sleep." Gwaine said, the others could tell that this was his way of making amends for the fight that they had had.

"We all are."

Strider looked over at them all and nodded, and he pulled out some bread and passed it along to the others, and they rode through the day and the next night. They would soon be in the Old Kingdom, or so they assumed, as Strider had begun to weave through the trees.

"We must dismount." He said.

And they were all leading their horses down a narrow pathway that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, the trees were closer here, thicker, older.

"What is this place?"

"This is what remains of the realm of the Old Kings," he said, "There was a kingdom here, greater than the five kingdoms combined."

"I have never heard of it," Arthur said.

"It was not a kingdom for men." Strider said, as they reached a bridge. They all looked around and spotted what appeared to be tree houses above them, moss and weeds were tangled in all the branches; but it was ethereal in a way.

A lake of water spanned around the clearing, and Strider took his horse and led him to a stable, the other follows suit. The stable was long since unused but it still had food for the horses. The rest of the village looked forgotten, and abandoned.

After they had left their horses Strider lead the group through the other side of the stable, it opened onto a square, stone walls reached up and almost touched the treetops. They stood in awe of the city that seemed so invisible moments ago.

"You can rest here," he said, before leaving them standing, staring at the once great city.

They had never seen, and probably would never see, a city like it.

"It's beautiful," Percival said, as he looked around, "Completely different."

"But who used to live here?" Elyan asked as he picked up a small pot from a table, it was intricately designed from glass and silver. "And where are they now?"

"Maybe we should ask him," Merlin said.

They made their way down and saw a figure by the water's edge; filling up a water satchel.

"Strider!"

Elyan had spoken out, "What is this place?"

There was a moment before Ranger answered; it seemed that he was listening to the trees and the forest. They too, in this moment, could hear calmness around it, he then took a deep drink from his satchel.

"It is a safe place, we can speak here and rest." he said, "The borders are well protected. Take water, bathe and eat, sleep."

"Before anything, I need some answers," Arthur said.

They stood all around Strider, expectantly who stood looking at the King with slight concern and amusement.

"You still do not trust me My Lord?"

Arthur looked at his men, and Strider seemed to understand what he meant by that, he nodded towards the king and Arthur began his questions.

"What is this place?"

"This... this is the Village of Othluria." he said as he stepped onto the cobbled stones, he looked up into the trees and closed his eyes. As if recalling something from the place, "There was once a time when the trees would sing us to sleep and the sun shone through the leaves like streams of gold onto the silver water."

There was a whisper in the trees and they all looked around, there was something in the ways he spoke about the place.

"What happened?" Gwaine asked.

He opened his eyes and looked away from them, muttering something in an unknown language. "We will speak more later. I will return with food, in the meantime, do not cross the bridge back into your world."

And then Strider was gone, weaving past the men he seemed to dissappear into the city of trees.

Gwaine was the first to speak, "I have no desire to leave this place."

"He'll avoid the questions, I bet he will."

"Stop it." Arthur said, as he looked around the village, "We are getting our answers tonight; perhaps we can finally learn what his intentions are."

They all moved back to their house, but Merlin remained by the waters ledge.

"The one you are travelling with, they are not what they seem."

"I know," Merlin said, speaking to his fathers voice, "There is something about him, I don't know what it is."

What more could they discover tonight?

When they returned to where Strider had been, they could see an assortment of food already prepared for them. It wasn't a great feast of food, but there was plenty for them all to eat, and plenty for the morning and perhaps more for a couple of days.

"Where did you find this?

"I had it re-supplied when I went in search for you," he said, "I did not think that we would come here but I always cover all possibilities."

"Wha..."

"Eat first, and then I will answer your questions."

"Will you really?"

"I give you my word, King Arthur." He said.

The others took this well and began to eat their food, it had been a while since they had eaten proper food, or had proper rest. But this place was a good enough place to do it in, already they were beginning to feel more energized, rested and at peace.

"Who are you?" Merlin asked, breaking the silence in between the food, "Why do you cover yourself?"

He looked at Merlin, and rearanged his scarf, the one covering his head and face, "I am from the race of elves. My ears are an obvious trait of my lineage, there is a need to cover them in the outside world. It is something easily noticed as... not belonging to men."

There was a moment of shocked silence as he said this. "Elves?"

"Would you risk showing us now then?"

"Even though this is a safe haven for the meantime, I cannot risk exposing neither my face nor my true nature. There are traitors all around. When we reach the city of my people, you will see things you have never seen before."

"But why now? Why did you not explain this when we first met?"

"It... it is a long story. But long ago, elves and men lived along side each other, in wars we fought together and died together. In community we were neighbours and in kingdoms we were great allies." he said, "There was a war, and we knew that the time of the elves was dwindling, and we would fade from the world. Many left, leaving these villages abandoned."

"But you're here."

"Some of us remained... there was an, agreement made." he said, "We swore an oath that if an evil from the past world would be resurrected that we would fight alongside you again to rid the world of such evil."

"You mean... the orcs?"

"They were a great hindrance in the great war," he said, "Now that the witch has awoken them, we are bound by our oath to find the kings of men and to fight alongside you, once again."

"The witch?" Elyan asked, he looked at the others, "Morgana."

"She knows not of our truce, of our agreement."Strider said, "Which is why, out in the world I am a Ranger, no one. Just a guide for lost souls, if she were to discover who we are she would try and find a power even greater than the orcs. We cannot allow that to happen."

"What power?"

"We do not speak of it," he said, "But it is a nightmare in this world to those who remember how it ensnared the people. Much that once was is lost now, and some things should remain forever lost."

He had begun to mumble to himself now, his voice and eyes drifting away as if recalling terrible memories of this creature.

The others did not mention it again.


	6. Chapter 6

**VI**

**THE EASTERN SKY**

**SIX**

When they left the village of Othluria they were in higher spirits, more rested and prepared for what lay ahead of them.

Strider had given his horse to Merlin and he walked in front of them, each of them taking turns to walk with him.

Although not much was ever said.

Now that their answers had been given they were civil towards him, but when they continued to recall that he was not human, it made them uncomfortable.

"Elves, do they even exist?"

"He says he has strange ears, perhaps we will see them in time." Gwaine said, as he ate an apple. They travelled slowly, alert, through the valley.

At some points, Strider would stop them and go ahead of them, listening or clearing a path for the horses, this sometimes made the knights feel inadequate.

"He does all the work himself."

"He knows these hills, we do not." Arthur said, the others listened to their king but it did not stop them from feeling this way. "There he is, let's move."

Gwaine also had been feeling rather guilty, at many things, mainly the fact that he was the one that had fought with Strider, who was a highly skilled fighter and archer. Gwaine had never apologised to anyone that he hadn't known for very long, and yet he felt compelled to want the Rangers forgiveness.

They stopped by a river, and Gwaine went with Strider towards a waterfall cliff. He was looking ahead, and listening intently.

"Strider-"

But he held up a hand, Gwaine stopped but could hear nothing. "Where are the others?"

"Upstream, hey- wait!" Gwaine shouted as he ran after Strider, and soon he could hear swords clashing, there was a fight.

Gwaine ran straight into the centre of the brawl, there were at least forty or so orcs fighting the knights. They were doing rather well, surprisingly, but then turned when they saw Gwaine, he pulled out his sword and began to fight.

Every once in a while they would turn to see Strider fighting off two or three orcs at a time, and killing them as quickly as they appeared, he would turn and shoot arrows, some narrowly missing the Knights but all of them hitting their targets.

Soon the orcs had either begun to run away or remained dead on the ground, black blood soaked into the ground. Strider turned to them after killing an orc, "Go after the others! They'll give away our position."

The knights ran downstream where they spotted a small group of the last remaining orcs, an arrow flew past them and an orc fell, the others turned ready to fight.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted out at Merlin as an orc ran towards him, but the servant raised his sword in time to impale the orc, Merlin struggled to remove the dead body from the sword, but dropped him to the ground and looked up at Arthur who nodded in an approving way.

"Strider!" Percival shouted out, and they all turned to see their guide fighting with two orcs, but at some point one of the orcs pushed the two other off the side of the cliff and into the waterfall below.

The orc and the Ranger fell, and both disappeared.

The remaining Orc looked down at the scene and then turned triumphantly at the others.

"Now is your – ugk." The orc chocked as an arrow hit him in the middle of the chest; he looked up at the knights as blood flowed from his lips, he spat out blood and said words in a strange, awful language before falling to the ground, dead.

The other rushed to the side of the cliff, looking below for a sign of Strider.

"The arrow was Strider's."

"He does not give up, does he?" Elyan said, as he looked down to the water, "I cannot see hi- Gwaine!"

But the knight had already flung himself over the cliff, his sword was out and he pleaded that he wouldn't break his foot as he hit the water.

For a brief moment he wondered why he was doing such a thing to save the Ranger, it couldn't just be because he was trying to prove himself... or was it?

He hit the water and his world turned into shades of blue and white.

Gwaine swam to the surface and gasped for air before going back down; he could see Strider and an Orc struggling at the bottom of the river. They were still fighting when Gwaine lunged his sword at the Orc, his sword piercing the chest and black blood spilling into the clean water, like ink.

Gwaine reached and pulled at Striders arm, and he tugged him to re- surface.

There they fell upon a rock, gasping for breath and he turned to Strider, who was struggling for breath. His hand was clutching at the scarf around his face, and he pulled it away, allowing him to breathe easier. But as he did, Gwaine's eyes widened, upon the rock the Ranger was transformed from the warrior into a beautiful woman.

Her eyes were closed as she regained her breath; she looked around the river, seemingly oblivious to the shock on Gwaine's face as he looked at the arched eyebrows and the pointed ears, she nodded at the bank, "Come, we must reach the banks before the water rises."

Her manly voice was gone, now replaced by a voice that sounded like music. A voice that reminded him of Gwen's innocence, of Morgana's beauty and like the spirit of the old city they had walked through.

"Come!" she said urgently, her eyes on his as she snapped him out of his reverie, he followed her through the water and onto the bank.

There they rested and allowed themselves a moment on the bank to regain themselves, Gwaine looked anywhere but to her. But he couldn't help himself, but couldn't help but burst out, "You're a woman!"

She ignored him, "The others should have followed the cliff down, they should be here soon."

He voice had changed, her eyes had changed, it was as if Gwaine was finally looking at her properly. She rinsed out her scarf and muttered a few words before replacing it on her face, she was transformed again.

"How do..."

"We are not safe yet Gwaine," she said, "Remain silent until we arrive."

And despites Gwaine's inability to keep a secret, he didn't have to try very hard to keep his mouth shut about this.

He was completely speechless.


	7. Chapter 7

**VII**

**THE EASTERN SKY**

**SEVEN**

By the time the knights came down to where Gwaine and the Ranger were the sun was nearly set and there was food already roasting on a fire.

"What's wrong Gwaine?" Merlin asked after they finished eating their meal. He had noticed something in Gwaine, something distant – something that made him silent through the meal, a rare occurance.

Gwaine looked over at Strider who stood a fair ways away, and he shook his head, "It's nothing."

But Merlin looked at how Gwaine watched Strider, from when they woke the next morning to when they were travelling. He was avoiding their guide; he wouldn't even look at the others when asked about why he was being so quiet.

"Probably shock." Percival said, as he was the one now to walk with the Ranger, but he was not a great conversationalist, so he remained with the others, "Those orcs... they're something different, aren't they?"

"They're disgusting creatures." Elyan said, "How do they even exist?"

They continued to walk until they reached the edge of a forest, there was an eerie silence around it.

"Are these the forests of Folmhein?" Gwaine asked aloud, not realising he had done so.

Percival shivered slightly, "There are rumours that they're haunted."

They were making their way down a small hill when suddenly Strider stopped; he turned and shouted out, "The forest! Now!"

In an instant there were arrows flying through the air, towards them, the knights ran into the forest and pulled out their swords.

They saw the orcs coming towards them, but they were bigger, uglier.

"I thought you said they didn't hunt in the sun!"

Strider ignored Arthur, "Mount your horses, make for the river east of here, I will hold them off."

"No!" Gwaine cried out, "I will stay with you."

Strider looked at them and pulled out his bow and arrow, it glowed even in the daylight, he ran back to the forest.

"We're coming with you!" Elyan shouted out.

Strider looked back at them, and looked at the horses, "_Asca melloneamin, Rhun_!"

As soon as he had spoken those words the horses seemed to jump into action, they started to gallop towards the river, and it took every last effort for the knights to control the horses.

"We must go back!" Gwaine called out.

They made to turn back when suddenly there was a growl from the heart of the forest, a growl that sunk into the core of the knights and spooked the horses. The earth shook and the forest seemed to tremble at a great invisible wind when Strider came running out of the forest, "The river!"

Merlin remained for a moment as he held out his hand for the Ranger to grab it; soon they were making their way across the streams and closer to the river. They were picking up speed as they heard shouts of creatures getting closer to where they were.

"Go across the water!" Strider cried out, they looked at the lake hesitantly but continued at their break-neck speed. As they drew closer to the water, they could catch snippets of Strider speaking, words that they could not understand and only Merlin could hear.

He suspected it to be magical, strong magic, and ever word shook the core of his body, he tried to control himself.

They reached the water, and as they did large stones began to appear under the hooves of the horses, the river flowed around the stones but they remained stable as the horses rode over them.

Soon they reached the other side of the river, and they turned their horses to see the stones disappear under the water.

"Was that mag-" Arthur began but was silence when he saw the Uruk-Hai reach the water's edge. Strider had dismounted and was walking towards them; he was ankle deep in the water when he spoke.

"You who remain now stand at the edge of Elven lands, beware that if you take one step further you will be shot down, in accordance to our laws and borders."

One of them stepped forward, "We are Uruk – Hai, we are no worse than your men. We travel under sun not like the orc filth. Give us the King and you shall live, Elf!"

He spat out words as if they were unclean to his mouth.

Strider pulled out a sword, the others had not seen it before as he had only used his bow and arrow or his daggers. It seemed to glow in his hand, and he began to mutter words in his tongue, walking deeper into the water.

Merlin couldn't help but step closer, he heard the last words Strider said, "Yala onna en' alu! Yala onna en' kemen!"

And then the noise began, a deep rushing noise.

It started quietly and then seemed to engulf the surrounding area, it almost deafened the knights, the horses shifted uneasily.

The uruk-hai became confused and one of them yelled.

"The forest!"

And soon all of them saw the forest, it seemed that it was moving. Faces seemed to appear in the leaves and the branches stretched out towards the uruk-hai, reaching to grab them.

Without thinking, they jumped into the water, and Strider struck his sword into the waves, when suddenly there was a crashing of waves and they turned to see the lake erupt into white flames. The uruk-hai screamed as they were burned and boiled alive in the water.

As suddenly as it began it all stopped in an instant.

The knights all released a breath that they had not realised they had been holding.

"Strider!" they called out, and Merlin walked forward to where Strider was in the river, he had fallen to his knees, exhausted.

It was there that Merlin noticed the blood splatter on Striders clothing, the blood that was trailing into the river, "Strider!"

The Ranger stood up, with effort, and walked past Merlin, "We must keep moving."

"But..."

"Dismount from the horses, the trail is too unstable for you to be mounted," he said, and he walked past them despite the protests of Merlin who shouted out that he was injured, Striders hand was on his waist, blood seeping through.

"You're exhausted Strider. Allow Merlin to look at your wound." Arthur said as they followed Strider into the woods.

"We will reach the castle tomorrow if we continue; we lose time if we spend it curing something that is easily fixed."

They began to protest but Gwaine surprised them when he agreed with the Ranger.

"What?"

"Look, the sooner we get there the sooner that... Strider can be fixed. Right?"

Strider nodded, but knew that it was only kindness because he knew her true nature. The others were hesitant but followed Strider into the forest nevertheless.

They walked for what seemed like hours when they seemed to have lost Strider; they stopped in the middle of the path and looked around for him. "Strange to lose a guide at a time like this."

"Well, this place doesn't seem so bad." Percival said.

Gwaine was the only one that was anxious, he knew that wound was more than just a surface wound.

"Gwaine, are you alright?"

He turned to see Merlin standing next to him, and his mouth broke out into an all too familiar grin, "Of course I'm alright Merlin, can't wait to face off with those guys again."

There was a rustling in the trees and they turned to see Strider looking at them, "Come."

"Where did you go?" Arthur asked as they followed Strider down a pathway.

"I had to clear the way."

"You used magic back there, didn't you?"

Strider didn't say anything, but continued down the pathway, and then he stopped and pointed down a small hill, "Down there is a stream, fill your satchels. We will not stop today."

Arthur looked at Strider, unsure of how to react to the knowledge that their guide was using magic, he instead went to the river.

Gwaine too filled up his water, but saw Strider standing on the hilltop, one hand on her waist where she had been wounded.

"We must stop." Gwaine said as he walked towards Strider, "We must take a look at your wound."

"It is fine" Strider said, "Believe me, I've travelled further with more wounds than this."

"I do not doubt it," Gwaine said, and Strider looked over at him, "If... if you wish I could take care of the wound myself, the others won't find out."

"I could take my scarf off now, these woods are protected by the power of my people. I don't have to hide here."

Gwaine hesitated.

"For now... could you stay hidden?"


End file.
